There are all kinds of writing tips floating around on how to do this or that correctly. Today we're going to take a different approach and focus on what NOT to do when writing an article.
Lets face it article writing can be time consuming and sometimes even presents challenges that can be frustrating. As a result you don't want your time and effort to be wasted when people don't even read what you wrote.
What we're going to address here today is how to write an article that will not only ATTRACT readers but one that will also keep them reading. We're going to focus on subtle little habits that we may develop that actually sabotage our article writing efforts.
Here are 7 habits that can actually repel readers that you will want to avoid when writing articles:
Avoid UNPOPULAR Topics
It is always a good idea to focus your efforts on topics that interest you. It certainly makes the article research easier to conduct and you are usually already somewhat knowledgeable about the subject. However if you pick something of little or no interest to readers the odds are against your article being read by many people.
When conducting your article research you can easily check on the popularity of the subject thru a quick online search. The numbers in your search results will clearly indicate how popular the topic is.
Pay MORE Attention to the Title
Don't just slap any title on your article and assume it will work. You want to title your article in a way that will catch a readers eye. Shock them, challenge them, provoke them, or arouse their curiosity in some way with your title. If your title doesn't attract a reader they'll NEVER read your great content and your effort will be wasted.
Avoid Drifting From Your Point
When you choose a topic you want to pursue maintain the theme or intention or your article throughout the entire body of your content. Articles that tend to drift from the point can quickly make a reader lose interest and as a result they may never completely read it.
They chose your article since the subject interested them therefore keep their interest by staying on the subject!
Present Your Content in a Logical Order
When you write an article you're in essence writing a short story that has an introduction, the body of content, and then a conclusion. Your article should 'flow' or have a logical fashion in the way the content is presented. If you jump around from point to point in a way that does not makes sense to the reader you will confuse them. Once again you're discouraging them from completing your article.
Use a Reader Friendly Format
When writing articles be careful to NOT get carried away by your interest or enthusiasm for the subject and forget that you ARE writing for the reader. Be sure that the formatting of your article, the way in which it is laid out, is reader friendly.
In earlier articles I spoke of varying formats that are more appealing to a reader. One popular format is listing out your points numerically in the article to make it easier for readers to follow or to reference later.
Avoid Rambling
Keep your paragraphs as brief as possible. Make your point and then move on. The more you write the greater the tendency to ramble. If your content requires longer paragraphs to make a point you may considered breaking the article up into a series of separate articles.
Articles are meant to be relatively brief so be aware of this when putting your content together.
Avoid Content That DOESN'T Benefit Reader
The article research you conduct should give you some useful, thought provoking, entertaining, or otherwise worthwhile information to present to your reader. Quality content should ALWAYS be the foundation upon which you 'build' your article. You do not want to waste the readers' time.
Of all the writing tips you may hear the most important one to remember is this: any time you're writing an article keep your readers in mind. By supplying content they will like and presenting it in a way that's easy to follow topped off with an eye-catching title your article likely will get you the results you want!